super simple hummus...or is it hommos...or hummos?

beans, beans, they're good for your heart.

      the more you eat...

             eh i forget the rest of that rhyme.

you know what makes it a lot easier to eat your veggies? dip. wait a minute! that sour cream/mayo stuff with a ranch dressing seasoning packet doesn't count. eating 5 baby carrots and a celery stalk does not even begin to justify that crap - those kids in the hidden valley commercials only look so happy and healthy because they're too young for the heart disease to have set it - give them time.

solution: i love that hummus has become so mainstream these days!  but now that it has, we get to demystify it. yeah, it's no longer an exotic dish from afar...it's that yummy snack you're overpaying for at every grocery store and food & liquor store (yup, seen it there too) i'm going to give you a recipe for really easy, cheap hummus at home - and once you see how simple it is, use the "hints" to turn this into any flavor hummus or even a different kind of bean dip!! (did your mind just explode? i know, brilliant - there's a money black bean dip idea in the "hints" - get on it)

note: you need a food processor for this recipe - though you could probably use a blender instead. there's just more stopping and starting while you scrape down the sides of your blender - the way the blades are set up it will naturally splatter the ingredients up onto the sides until it's smooth enough to "churn" around the blades. 

take 10 minutes at home to make this and get way more bang for your buck and steer clear of accidentally eating hundreds of calories and more fat than you think with those commercial brands (come on - 2 tablespoons is a serving?! get out of my face)

ingredients:

- 15 oz can of chick peas (or garbanzo beans, yes, same thing) doesn't matter what brand

- 1/4 cup the liquid from the can the beans came in (it's just starchy, salty liquid - don't be creeped out)

- 1/4 cup lemon juice (as always - fresh is best! it'd translate to the juice of 1 or 1&1/2 lemons - not a big investment, but way more flavor than concentrate, bottled stuff)

- 1 tsp minced garlic (same thing - fresh is better, you could use jarred/minced garlic or just cut 1 clove of garlic in quarters for this)

- 1/4 tsp salt 

- 1/2 tsp black pepper (fresh ground adds way more flavor than the ground stuff from a shaker)

- 7 kalamata olives (optional - this is the "flavor" of this hummus. i used the jarred ones from Trader Joe's, they'll keep for a long time in the fridge so you can use the leftovers later)

what to do:

1. prep - get your food processor out and assembled, squeeze/measure your lemon juice, grind your pepper (hint - if you're using a grinder and want to measure your pepper, grind it onto a piece of paper. you can fold the piece of paper and pour it into your measuring spoon) open your can of beans and  (use your can opener almost all the way around - leave a little bit of the lid attached, it'll be your "hinge" so you can use the lid to keep the beans in but pour the liquid out in to your measuring cup)

2. put everything in your food processor. 

3. process the food.

        seriously, that's it. blend it until you get that smooth consistency of commercial hummus. it will happen! if it's a little gritty, it's not done, i promise it will get to that creamy point if you stick with it. it may take 2 minutes of that annoying, high-pitched blending motor sound, but it'll happen. you may have to stop and scrape down the sides of your food processor to get some splattered ingredients in the mix. 

4. taste it. like it? if not, fix it. little salt, pepper, etc.

with some snow peas & baked tortilla chips: perfection

hints:

- this recipe is really cheap. a can of chick peas, on average, is 89cents, and a couple lemons- about $1. compared to commercial hummus which would be about $3-5 per container. the "flavor additions" will likely be the pricier items here. but keep in mind, you should be able to buy them and get multiple uses out of them! see the next "hint"...

- don't like kalamata olives? first off - what's wrong with you? second - that's ok! they're included in this recipe as an example of how easy it is to use one simple key ingredient to add a ton of flavor to a basic hummus. note that olives are really salty and briney, so if you chose not to use them, you may need to add a little more salt - always make the hummus as the rest of the recipe lists, adding any other flavor you want and tasting it in step 4 prior to adding more salt.

other examples of great additions: 

sun-dried tomatoes (some come already moist and ready to use, otherwise, if they're still hard-dried just follow the simple steps on the package to rehydrate - which is usually putting them in hot water)

3 fresh basil leaves and 2 tablespoons of galaxy vegan parmesan topping (or regular grated parm) what to do with the rest of the basil you bought for this? they make a ridiculously good addition to any pasta sauces!

2 chipotles canned in adobo sauce - these are soooo good and add a smokey, spicy flavor! i usually find these in the generically labeled "hispanic foods" aisle - be careful as they can add quite a bit of spice

roasted red pepper -remember, you learned how to make one the spanish rice blog from february!! look how handy that is now, you're so empowered!

-try other flavors! what are your favs that you buy pre-made? a bet you could do a pretty good job replicating it for less $ - if you want, let me know and maybe i can toy with the concept for ya...but i bet you could do it on your own!

-you may be wondering why my hummus recipe doesn't include tahini or olive oil...well, tahini is expensive and both of those ingredients add a significant amount of fat. don't get me wrong - both add healthy fats, but i'm just not the type to sit down and measure out the 2 tablespoon serving size of hummus...it typically ends up being half a cup nosh session! and no matter how good those calories are for you...it just adds up to a lot of them! i don't really find my hummus to be lacking because i don't use tahini or oil, the consistency is made by the can liquid & lemon juice and the flavor isn't lacking as long as you season it well (which is also why i really think you should use fresh lemon, pepper and garlic - they're so bold and rich!) 

-also feel free to try other beans! yeah - true story. just take note - chick beans are some of the hardest or driest beans i've used. meaning, if you want to make black bean dip, don't add all that liquid or you will have bean soup. black beans, kidney bean, cannellini beans, pinto beans - they are softer and will add more moisture on their own, so start off adding half as much liquid and blend - adding more liquid as needed. 

-cannelinni beans (white kidney beans) are delicious with the basil/parm idea!

-black beans turn into a delicious dip with lime juice instead of lemon, and a teaspoon of cumin. this is one of my favs! after blending it i like to add some chopped onion, cilantro and tomato. don't sweat the details - just try it. mmmmmm...

nutritional facts:

the kalamata recipe yields approximately 1&1/2 cups of hummus. we're calling 1/4 cup a serving. info per service:

calories: 72

fat: 1.9g

saturated fat: 0

cholesterol: 0

sodium: 321mg 

carbohydrates: 11.3g

fiber: 2.7g

sugar: 1.4g

protein: 3g

vitamin A: 0%

vitamin C: 8%

calcium: 1%

iron: 4%